I have been prodded by friends that my stories should be on a blog. I have explained numerous times that I don't own a computer and was clueless on the initial steps to create a blog.
"It's so easy Grandma can do it"...Good Lord, alright then, here I go!
What's funny about starting a blog is that it is not unusual for me to try something without knowing the first thing on how to do it or having all the items one may need to do it. In this case a computer. Nope, don't own one and my phone is an "old fashion" cell phone.
Old fashion cell phone... now that's funny.
Let me refer to the following:
I owned a 72 Cutlass , I was young and had no money and it needed a tune up. I asked the local auto parts guy if I could do it and he says "sure...it's easy, anyone can do it." So I purchased the stuff I would need saving me $20 and went home to tackle my first and only tune up. He was right it was easy. I had everything off, replaced and went to start the car. Hmmmm, it didn't turn over so I tinkered with the spark plugs and other things. DEAD. Not leaving the driveway. It was towed to the mechanic who thought it naive and girlish that I would even attempt to get under the hood. $150 later, it was running swell.
Lesson learned. I am not good with anything mechanical to this day. Hot glue and duct tape, I'm your girl!
When I bought my first NEW vehicle, one of the very first Jeep Scramblers on the local lot, it was a stick shift. The salesman said "it's super easy to learn how to drive a stick." I believed him and I bought it having a friend drive it home. Ummm, not so easy Mr. Salesman. Is it supposed to sputter and stall?? I lived in Ft Lauderdale where they have multiple draw bridges. How many times would you like to guess that I stalled on those? Eventually I became a whiz driving that Jeep and had the best time doing so but not before having LOTS of people cussing me. OFTEN.
Which brings me to " mud bogging". Way dirtier than "blogging"! If you own a Jeep it's just about against the law not to go mud bogging. I decide how hard can it be? I went through several mud puddles getting absolutely filthy and having the best time and then one day I sunk the Jeep. SUNK.IT. And I was alone. And I was in the middle of no-where. I walked out of the forest which now houses the Sunrise Musical Theatre and probably a 1000 other things but back then, it was a big open dirt road next to lots of woods. I flagged down a tow truck and convinced him it would be a great idea to pull me out. So we head out to the woods, we get closer to the Jeep and HE.SINKS. Oh Crap. He is a whole lot of not happy. I got lucky when two other mudders came out and they got me out and then we sped out of there like bats outta hell leaving a very irate tow truck driver trying to explain to his employer how he got in that predictament. GOOD TIMES.
I started at a young age believing I could do just about anything if it looked simple enough or the salesperson said I could. Ask me about the time my Dad said when we moved to California we could walk to Disneyland. (We couldn't and I found out about quicksand)
When I started riding with Southern Trailriders I was missing a few things...a horse, a saddle, a trailer, a clue! The last time I rode a horse was when I was 13. And I really thought I KNEW how to ride a horse then.
Maybe not so much in today's standards but I was fearless like a 13 year old and had a blast riding any horse I could. I have several stories recounting that which I will save for later. Trust me, they are funny. Now. Not so much then.
2 of my most recent attempts on trying things: riding the Tevis and trimming my horses hooves.
With my work week cut to 4 days and no raise in 5 years, I was looking for ways to save $$$ and although my farrier doesn't charge a lot for trims I thought it was high time to learn how to do it myself. Of the two horses I trim, one is retired and the other thinks he is. So I asked Larry "Is it hard?" And you know what he said? "Nah, anybody can do it!" He told me the worse I could do is bleed them, take off too much heel, too much toe, too much off the sides, leave the toe too long or just plain lame them up good. Which I have.
But they end up walking pretty good after a day or two. :)
It's been a year now and I think I have knack but I am no way ready to quit my day job! And he should charge more because it is a hot, dirty, hot job. It does keep the Holy Rollers away though as I look like I have been baptized in the lake of muddy waters when they come and I am under a horse.
Tevis. People plan for this ride. All year, most folks, all of their lives. They train for it, they study for it. They buy the DVD's, the books and watch YouTube and dream of the day they have the right horse. Me? I say "sure I can go with you!" How hard can it be? Well, as long as you don't fall off the mountain, sink in a bog, slide off the swinging bridge, make it up Cougar Rock, up the canyons, down the canyons or get stuck riding alone in the dark on the CA loop...it's not hard at all. :) Finishing is the hard part. I didn't. But I'll try again.
All of this brings me here. Writing a blog. I don't have a computer. My grammar skills can be lacking. Time might be tricky too.
But hey..."it's not hard at all, anybody can do it!"
Great memories of several varieties. I too remember when west Broward County was rural. I thought it was great fun to buy a junker car for $200 and a whole bunch of us would sit shoulder to shoulder & go mud slinging. A favorite area was the Coral Springs developments, especially doing doughnuts on newly planted greens. We were the bain of Margate PD. Other times we'd spend an hour digging under a tire to get free of a hole we had sunk in. I think if I would have had a horse to go gallivanting on would have been perfect. I think that's why some of my favorite endurance riding either training or during a 'ride' is the fast paced, unknown terrain, challenges, and good ole adventure with buddies.
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